Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) in a research report released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $75.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walker & Dunlop in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citizens Jmp upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walker & Dunlop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.40.

Walker & Dunlop Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of WD opened at $60.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.85 and a beta of 1.58. Walker & Dunlop has a 52 week low of $60.05 and a 52 week high of $99.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $70.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.63.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.01. Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 8.85% and a net margin of 9.31%.The company had revenue of $337.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.10 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Walker & Dunlop’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walker & Dunlop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. Walker & Dunlop’s payout ratio is 79.53%.

Institutional Trading of Walker & Dunlop

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WD. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,927,000 after purchasing an additional 5,046 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 8.2% during the second quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 19,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,355,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the second quarter worth approximately $30,422,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the first quarter worth $334,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Walker & Dunlop in the 1st quarter valued at $9,353,000. 80.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of commercial real estate finance in the United States, specializing in the origination, servicing and sale of loans secured by multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, student housing and manufactured housing properties. The firm offers a full suite of debt and equity solutions, including agency financing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD and FHA-insured loans, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and investment sales advisory.

With roots dating back to 1937 and its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its platform through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.